PLANTS AND GARDEN HINTS.
Water your houseplants with room temperature water, so not to
injure your plants.
Tap water should stand for 1 day to rid water of chlorine. This
will avoid brown tips on plants.
Water that you boil eggs in is filled with minerals and is a good
drink for your plants.
Put eggs shells in water and leave it set overnight. This is also
good for your plants.
Use an old knitting needle or pencil to check the soil to see if
you need to water a plant. Stick the needle or pencil in the
soil and then pull it out, if it's dry, water the plant.
Old aquarium water or water in which fish have been frozen is top
choice for fertilizers.
Old sizzless club soda has the right chemicals to add vigor and
color to your plants.
Bulb plants should be watered from the bottom. Let the plant sit
in a saucer of water, or kitchen sink filled with water.
In winter, melt some snow to use for watering. There's are some
wonderful minerals in the snow.
For good drainage, use any of the following in the bottom of the
pot: broken clay pots, cracked walnuts, marbles, charcoal, or
fruit pits.
Water a hard-to-reach plant with an athlete's water bottle (a
plastic bottle with a bent straw).
Indoor plants should be frequently rotated so they can absorb
sunlight evenly. Your plants will grow straight by keeping them
rotated, as plants lean toward the light.
To gloss leaves, use a mixture of half water and half milk.
Plants should be repotted after they have finished blooming.
When repotting a plant, always use a pot two inches larger.
Clay pots should be soaked in water a few minutes before using.
This will prevent the clay from absorbing the moisture from the
potting soil.
Glycerine is one of the best substances for putting a gloss on
plant leaves. Just put a few drops of glycerine on a cloth and
swab leaves. Glycerine is better than mayonnaise or olive oil as
it is not a dust collector.
Indoor trellises can be made out of coat hangers. Bend to any
shape you desire (heart, star, or other) and insert into pot.
For fern owners, a good tonic for your ferns is to water them
with weak tea. Also, you can plant a wet soggy tea bag next to
your fern.

2 If your ferns are infested with worms, let them meet their match
by placing stick matches into the soil. On an ordinary size
plant, place 4 matches sulphur side down. In larger plants place
six matches in soil.
Tips for Cut Flowers:
Always cut stems at an angle with a sharp knife or scissors.
On thick stems split the ends before placing in water.
Cut stems under water to prevent air bubbles entering the stems.
Air bubbles can stop the free flow of water into the stem.
Remove leaves below the water line. Decaying leaves poison the
water.
Refrigerate flowers at night. This will double their life span.
A good preservative for flowers is 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
and 2 tablespoons of cane sugar to a quart of water. The sugar
acts as food and the vinegar will inhibit the growth of
organisms.
Aspirins, ice cubes, and pennies also are said to prolong the
lives of cut flowers.
Carnations will last longer if a little boric acid is placed in
the water.
For geraniums, feed them rinsed coffee grounds.
Pick outside flowers in early morning or evening to avoid bees.
Bees will be in their hives during these hours. Or tap flowers
gently so bees will fly out.
Tulips will continue to grow after they are clipped, so you may
have to switch to a taller vase.
Tulips will stand erect and not open too wide if you drop a penny
in the vase.
Gardens Tips:
Plastic sleds make nice garden carts. They pull through the
grass easily and hold lots of tools. You also can carry plants or
bulbs that need to be transplanted. The sled will easily rinse
clean when finished.
A golf cart also makes a good tool caddie. You can put a shovel,
rake, and pitchfork in the bag. Smaller tools and gloves can be
stored in the pockets.
Haul leaves in an old plastic wading pool or bedspread.
If you're working in a muddy garden and you know you'll need to
go in and out of your house, keep a couple of grocery sacks
inside the door. As you come into the house put your feet into
the bags. You'll save time by not removing shoes and still keep
your floors clean.
Keep weeds out of your garden by putting untreated paper feed
sacks or newspapers (little harder to handle) between rows.
3 Weight down with hay, grass or manure. By next spring, the paper
will be decomposed.
Herbs are nature's insecticides. Be sure to include a variety of
them in your garden.
Make an effective and natural insecticide by adding onions and
garlic to a jar of water. Let it stand for a week and then spray
your plants.
Plant basil near tomatoes, as it will repel worms and flies.
To protect cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts
from the cabbage moth, use mint, sage, dill and thyme.
Anise and coriander will discourage aphids.
The potato beetle hates horseradish so be sure to plant
horseradish near potatoes.
Plant radishes near cabbage to repel maggots.
Onions and garlic protect your plants from Japanese beetles,
carrot flies and aphids on lettuce and beans.
Onions should be planted near carrots and beets.
Don't plant cabbage near strawberries or garlic near peas as they
do not like each other.
Throw crushed egg shell on your garden for plant growth.
To add acid to the ground, use dried coffee grounds.
Fertilize with ashes once in awhile. Ashes will help control pH
levels in soil as they contain about 50 to 75 percent lime.
For the organic gardener compost piles are important.
Pour boiling water on any ant hills near your garden.
Soap suds are a fantastic insecticide. Spray suds liberally on
plants.
To discourage rabbits and other pests from feasting in your
garden, scatter mothballs around it.
Make an additional fence around your garden with a row of
vegetables. The roots secrete oil which many pests refuse to
cross.
To help baby tomatoes to get off to a good start, mix fireplace
ashes into the surrounding soil. Place a coffee can (remove top
and bottom cover) over each plant. Step firmly on top of the can
to set it in the ground. Remove can when plants are a few weeks
old.
Make a miniature greenhouse out of plastic gallon milk jugs. Cut
off the bottom on the milk jug and leave the cap off. Place over
young plants until they outgrow the jug.
When starting plants indoors, place trays of seeds on top of your
refrigerator. The extra heat radiating from the fridge helps the
seeds to germinate.

4 Aid large tomato plants by tying the stalks with pantyhose
that's been cut lengthwise.

When planting your garden, mark the date on the seed package or
an index card (type of plant, any special instructions and date
planted), then enclose in a plastic bag and attach to a stake at
the end of the row. For large gardens, this will make it easier
to remember when you planted different things.

Rinse vegetables and fruits outside before bringing them indoors.
Place chicken wire over a wooden box that the bottom has been cut
out of. Rinse the vegetables with your garden hose. The dirt
and bugs will stay outdoors and your kitchen will stay clean.

In flower boxes, place a layer of gravel on top the of soil to
keep the soil from spattering on windows during a rain.

Kill poison ivy with a solution of 2 gallons of soapy water and 3
pounds of salt. Spray areas. A few dousings will kill it.

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